Huayi 2026: Stars, drama with Jiang Shan in Deling And Cixi, King Shih-chieh in The Father
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Chinese actress Jiang Shan leads the cast of palace drama Deling And Cixi.
PHOTO: ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY
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- Huayi Festival returns to Esplanade (Feb 27-Mar 8, 2026) with early bird tickets on sale from Dec 3, featuring theatre, music, and dialogues.
- Key performances include Singapore Chinese Orchestra's Wukong's 72 Transformations, and Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre's The Father.
- Homegrown talents, like The Freshman, are highlighted, alongside acts from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
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SINGAPORE – Get ready for theatrical treats when the Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts returns for its 24th edition from Feb 27 to March 8, 2026. Early-bird tickets go on sale from Dec 3 at 10am.
The festival opens with a palace drama that promises intrigue and visual spectacle. Deling And Cixi is penned by celebrated playwright He Jiping of New Dragon Gate Inn (1992) fame. The star-studded cast is led by Chinese star Jiang Shan as the Empress Dowager and includes former Zero-G boy band member Xiao Yuliang as Emperor Guangxu.
The story revolves around the relationship between Cixi and her lady-in-waiting, Princess Deling (played by Lang Ling), who can be seen in archival footage online speaking perfect English. The Westernised Deling also spoke French and studied with the famed dancer Isadora Duncan.
The Esplanade’s senior producer Delvin Lee says: “It’s a very heartfelt storyline, yet it’s on a grand scale, about the whole country, state of affairs in the late Qing Dynasty. They are the most powerful figures in China, yet they don’t have freedom to love freely, to do what they want.”
Another crowd-pleaser is the Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s Wukong’s 72 Transformations, inspired by the beloved Monkey King character. This will be a multimedia production complete with puppetry from home-grown troupe Paper Monkey Theatre.
At the other end of the spectrum is French playwright Florian Zeller’s award-winning play La Pere (The Father), last staged by Pangdemonium in English. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre’s Mandarin version stars veteran Taiwan actor King Shih-chieh, who was last in Singapore for 2024’s Tuesdays With Morrie.
Mr Lee advises theatre fans to grab tickets to the front rows for “a masterclass in acting” by King, who plays the titular character slowly deteriorating from Alzheimer’s disease. He adds, with Singapore’s ageing population in mind: “It’s a very timely and relevant piece.”
Tall Tales: Bananas & Ang Ku Kuehs is a quirkier theatre offering born of a collaboration between Singapore’s Oliver Chong and Taiwan’s Wang Chia-ming.
Chong, from The Finger Players, and Wang, of Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group, first worked together for 2018’s Blood & Rose Ensemble, a Huayi show.
This latest work, inspired by the Italian classic The Decameron, is an Esplanade and Taipei Performing Arts Center co-commission. It brings live performance and puppetry together to explore the roots of myths and stories.
Rounding out the theatre slate are two smaller productions.
Fans of 2023’s Tri Ka Tsai cabaret will want to grab tickets for Anna Lo and Rick Lau’s follow-up Lau Zone, a tribute to Hong Kong’s multilingual culture, which spotlights Teochew alongside the more common Cantonese. From Taiwan’s 4 Chairs Theatre comes the reimagining of a Japanese science-fiction story The Sun.
Mr Lee notes that the Esplanade has traditionally supported home-grown artists by promoting collaborations and commissioning work. The headlining concert for 2026’s Huayi is an example of the arts centre’s staunch support of budding talent.
Home-grown Mandopop duo The Freshman will be playing a concert celebrating their 15th anniversary. Mr Lee says: “Right from the beginning, Esplanade and Huayi have been supporting their artistic journey, from free shows at the concourse to doing small-scale recital studio performances to 2021, during the Covid period, when they had a small concert.”
The music component of the festival also includes Taiwan indie acts Yellow and Crispy, as well as China’s Wangwen.
Renowned Taiwan actor King Shih-chieh plays the lead in Le Pere (The Father).
PHOTO: YUNNA WANG
A series of ticketed dialogues, curated by theatremaker Liu Xiao Yi, will encourage audiences to further the conversation about the work they have seen. The programme for ticketed workshops will be announced in mid-December while the slate of free programmes will be released in mid-January.
Book It/Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts
Where: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, 1 Esplanade Drive str.sg/o9unK
When: Feb 27 to March 8, 2026, various timings
Admission: Free and ticketed from Sistic. Early-bird tickets go on sale from Dec 3 at 10am
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